An international human-rights group censured the singer Kanye West for a performance in Kazakhstan last Saturday.

The Human Rights Foundation said West performed at the wedding of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson in the oil-rich country that was previously part of the Soviet Union. The organization said West is one of many performers who make millions of dollars putting on private shows for dictators and leaders of countries with poor human-rights records.

“Kanye West is legitimizing these people,” Human Rights Foundation President Thor Halvorssen said in an interview with Speakeasy. He also said the rapper’s performance undermines his support of certain charities. “He has been very loud about his charity work, so this case is ironic,” Halvorssen said.

West’s publicist didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Halvorssen said the Nazarbayev administration oppresses citizens, subdues the press and even kidnaps people to stay in power. He compared West’s performance to an appearance this summer by the singer Jennifer Lopez in Turkmenistan, a country that has also received criticism for its human-rights record.

Halvorssen said Nazarbayev invited West to perform and that he received $3 million for the show. “It was a very strong debut, but the money paid to him was looted from the government of Kazakhstan,” Halvorssen said.

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Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.